Rose and the Beast
by proxxyanna
Summary: For Rosemarie Hathaway, Guardian and best friend of Queen Vasilissa Dragomir, They come first was more than a mantra. It was a way of living. But how can she protect her charge when she's suddenly pulled away into a strange world, inhabited by the most peculiar, and at times infuriating, creatures? When universes collide, it takes a bold choice to restore order to chaos.
1. Chapter 1

"Liss, at what time do you need me this evening?" Rose re-tied her long dark hair in a ponytail and looked at her best friend of fifteen years.

"In 2-3 hours, give or take." Lissa finished signing the last document before shuffling the papers together in a neat pile. "I think the meeting will be done by then." With long, blond hair, brushed to perfection, jade green eyes, and an impeccable teal sheath dress, the young queen of the Moroi was a vision to behold.

"Are you sure you don't need me there?" asked Rose.

"Yes, Rose, I am sure. I can handle Lord Tarus by myself. And if he decides to misbehave I'm confident that Nikki and Jared can make him play nice."

"Lisaaa!" Rose scrunched her dark, exotic eyes and sighed. "You've been queen for less than two months. There are still many voices that oppose you, and your half-sister Jill isn't officially a Dragomir yet. I have all the faith in the world in Nikki and Jared. They're both skilled fighters, but they're not me."

"Nobody is. But that doesn't mean they're weak either. Rose, you know I adore you and that I appreciate your concern, but everything is going to be fine." Lissa smiled sweetly at her friend and started to make her exit.

"Humphh. Fine, I'll see you in 2 hours," said Rose with a pout. "I'm going to make some errands."

After an hour of running around court Rose stumbled upon a familiar face.

"Mia, Hi! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages." She almost crushed the Moroi girl in a bear hug.

"Heya, Rose! Easy there. I've been working out, but I'm still no match for the Protector of the Realm, the most badass Guardian alive, the one and only Rosemarie Hathaway." Mia took a little bow.

Rather small for a Moroi, with big, blue eyes and blond short ringlets, Mia looked like a sweet, innocent, little angel. Of course, her friends knew that she was anything but that. Rose's relationship with Mia had had many ups and downs, primarily because not so long ago the young looking Moroi took it upon herself to ruin Lissa's life, but the subsequent events radically changed Mia. Losing her mother suddenly to a Strigoi attack and then embarking on a basically suicide mission against the evil race took a toll on the young Moroi, toughened her up and changed her outlook on life and on the things that truly matter. It also made Rose sympathize with her, and now she considered Mia a friend, one whom she missed.

"Oh, stop it! Or do you want to see first-hand my out of this world skills?" Rose winked teasingly at Mia.

"Yeah, yeah. All bark and no bite. You can't harm me. Moroi, remember?" she replied, pointing to herself. "We come first? Besides, I've already seen you in action. You really do live up to your reputation." Mia put her right arm around Rose and steered her towards a moss-covered building.

They come first. Always. The Guardian mantra was so embedded in Rose's mind that it was part of her very being. Dhampirs were protectors, it was their sacred duty to guard the Moroi. To harm one was unfathomable. Their needs always took precedence.

Getting a bit lost in thought it took her a moment to realize that Mia was steering her somewhere.

"Um, Mia? Where are we going?"

"You'll see," she said, smiling mischievously. "You're not on duty now, right?"

"No, but Lissa…"

"Our beloved queen can spare you for an hour. You need some girl time. We haven't seen each other in forever. You're going! No but's."

"You know, for someone so angelic-looking you sure have a mean streak." Rose ruffled Mia's short blond curls and continued walking.

Rose never entered this moss-covered building before. As soon as they crossed the threshold they were surrounded by serene music. The air seemed spicy and rich, and in the corner there was a huge golden harp. Mia seemed to know her way around because she went straight to what appeared to be the front desk and started chatting the girl seated behind it. They seemed to come to a conclusion because in a few moments Rose found herself being whisked away and led through a maze of rooms and finally to a locker room. Stripped to their underwear and armed with fluffy white towels, the two girls entered a space that could only be described as an oasis. It was painted in muted tones, with a pond in the center and with fresh flowers flowing everywhere. The music here was even more otherworldly than in the foyer.

"Where the hell did you bring me? What is this place?" said Rose through gritted teeth. Mia seemed completely unfazed.

"Well, it's a spa, of course. I thought you could use a nice massage. When was the last time you had one?"

"I don't have much time for spas and massages."

"Yeah, yeah. You have to be Badass Number 1, 24/7. It's just a massage, Rose. You need to treat yourself once in a while. There's no harm in that. I'm sure Lissa would agree."

Slightly mollified, Rose took the seat appointed to her by a gentle looking middle-aged Dhampir woman.

"Just sit back and relax," said the woman. "Try to shut down all your thought processes and just be. Let the music carry you to another dimension."

Rose internally scoffed at the New-Age bullshit, but nevertheless tried to lay still. After all, the woman was just doing her job. Although, when she put her hands on Rose's sore muscles she had to suppress a moan. It felt so damn good. When was the last time anything felt so good? She had never had a professional massage before and she couldn't remember the last time she went on a date. Many months have passed since she indulged in that particular activity. There was nothing wrong with it, on the contrary. It could be quite fun. But it wasn't a priority. Lissa always has and always will come first. She needed to focus on her and stop thinking about unimportant things. Life wasn't a fairytale. Not for her, anyway. She wasn't some Cinderella, dreaming about finding Prince Charming and riding to the sunset with him. She was a Guardian and love wasn't on the agenda. And she surely didn't need a guy to rescue or complete her.

She knew that she came across as intense, and in a way she knew she was. Despite their duty, Guardians did have fun and enjoy life. She used to do that too. She used to party and flirt with the best of them and exasperate (and occasionally enrage) her instructors back at St. Vladimir's Academy with all her antics, while attending and often organizing many illicit parties. But then life came along. If she was honest to herself, this change was brought upon primarily by losing the psychic bond that she shared with Lissa ever since the Moroi used Spirit to save her life and make her the first known Shadow Kissed in recent history. The life-changing event didn't just straighten her friendship with Lissa, but made it so much easier for her to keep tabs on her friend and make sure she was alright. In truth, it made her reliant on the bond, as opposed to following standard Guardian procedures. And losing the bond was like losing a limb. She began to feel unsure of herself and of her ability to properly guard Lissa. So, she promised to do whatever was necessary to make sure she was the best Guardian possible, fit for a queen, but more importantly, fit for her best friend. If that meant losing a part of herself, her spirit, her carefree attitude, even some of her Rose-logic, then so be it. Lissa was worth it.

Uninvited, Mia's words from her last visit to Court came back to her: "Don't you ever get lonely?" At the time she rejected the notion entirely. But maybe deep inside a seed was planted. And this damn music and scented candles were playing havoc on her emotions. She wouldn't be having these traitorous thoughts otherwise, she was sure of it. Rose's loyalty was to Lissa and to Lissa alone. She wistfully remembered the moment when she first saw her at the Academy, all those years ago, in a perfectly tailored white dress, with blond pigtails and a sweet smile. They clicked instantly when Rose called their teacher a fascist bastard for making them spell their complicated full names. From then on, a tougher-than-steel friendship was born, stronger than even death. In Rose's mind, Lissa shouldn't be protected at all costs because she was Moroi or even the queen, but because she was her best friend since the age of five. And it wasn't like Rose was actually lonely. How could she be when she was always surrounded by so many people? In the end, she had Lissa and she had her friends. It had to be enough.

"Rose, you can open your eyes now. How do you feel?" The therapist's kind face came into focus.

"Fine, thank you. I think I needed that." Rose stood up and looked for Mia.

"She's waiting for you in the locker room. Through there," said the woman, pointing to a door.

"Yes, I remember. Thank you again. Bye!"

Mia was indeed waiting for her in the locker room, with a knowing look in her eyes. "She's amazing, isn't she? Even royals come to see her. One hour with her and you already look 2 years younger."

"I wasn't aware I looked old, but thanks," said Rose, with an eye-roll she patented over the years. "It's always nice to hang out with you, Mia."

"Oh, don't be like that. You know you love me." Rose may have mastered the eye-roll, but Mia was the queen of the puppy-eyes look and she made good use of it now.

"Love may be a bit of a stretch, but you're usually pretty tolerable," said Rose, smirking.

"Shut up." Mia gave a sharp laugh and mock-punched Rose.

"That hurt. A lot. Oh my God, the pain is unbearable," said Rose, in a monotone voice. "Come on, I have to get back to Lissa."

"Shoot. I have to go too. Maybe we'll catch up this evening, round up the old gang. If her highness has the time, of course." With a final wink, Mia left.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Rose rejoined Lissa in her private quarters.

"So, how was the meeting? Did his Lordship give you a hard time?" asked Rose, straightening her guardian-issued black jacket. Even though she wasn't actually on duty she still favored the standard Guardian attire.

"A little, but nothing I couldn't handle." Lissa added a bit more mascara to her lashes and turned to face Rose with a smile. "Do you think Christian was able to get Eddie to come? You know how he is about his new posting. He seems adamant to spend all of his time with his charge, even when he's off duty. Come to think of it, it reminds me of a certain someone." Lissa finished with the mascara and gave her friend a pointed stare.

"I really don't know what you're talking about." Rose pasted a conspicuously innocent expression on her face and looked at her friend. "Speaking of your lesser half, did you manage to get him that action figure he wanted?"

"Yes!" Lissa hastily rose from her antique stool and went to the wardrobe, where she retrieved a shiny box, which she showed to Rose. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Sparky will be over the moon." With an exaggerated eye-roll, Rose ushered Lissa out of the plush room. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

Gently squeezing the box in her designer bag, Lissa took Rose's arm and they entered an adjoining room, cozily lit by a massive fireplace. There were huge pillows strewn all over the floor, currently being occupied by Mia and Christian, while Nikki and Jared, Lissa's other guardians, were leaning against a wall. Eddie was nowhere to be seen. Despite the cozy atmosphere, there was an almost tangible air of anticipation in the room.

When she saw Lissa, Christian sprung from his pillow and hurried to her side, his Ozera crystal blue eyes sparkling with mischief and deep affection. "Finally, the party can get started. Come along, my lady." Taking his girlfriend's hand, he led her to the biggest pillow, in a jade green color, similar to her eyes. "You too, Rose."

"How gracious of you, Christian. You make me feel so welcomed. Don't I deserve to be ushered to a pillow too?"

Ignoring Rose's smirk, Christian retorted: "These fluffy bad boys would be wasted on you. Having known you for some time, I think it's safe to say that you'll choose to stand by a wall. But alas, things are as they are. No need to let you spoil the fun for the rest of us."

Having said this, he turned to retrieve something from a nearby cabinet, while Rose took up a pillow next to a wall that had a good vantage point. It was a nice compromise in her book. Sure, she wasn't on active duty, but she couldn't be careless either.

Rose was abruptly pulled out of her reverie upon seeing what Christian was carrying.

"Two cases of the finest Russian vodka, straight out of Novosibirsk. With compliments from Abe." Christian was beaming with pride and excitement, seemingly unaware of the daggers Rose was throwing in his direction. Abe. Of course her mobster father had to be involved in this. Who else would try to get the queen of the Moroi drunk? Besides her boyfriend, naturally. Rose had only recently met her father, who was apparently infamous in the Dhampir-Moroi world, and their relationship was still a little dicey. After all, there was a reason why he was called "Zmey", the Serpent.

"We must celebrate Mia's return to Court, right? We don't have to drink it all in one night, so you can stop with the murdering stare. Yes, I'm looking at you, Rose."

He wasn't completely oblivious to his surroundings and to the atmosphere in the room, which gave Rose a bit of hope.

Sensing the need to change the topic, Lissa took a sip of her glass and stood up, while Mia happily indulged in the imported liquor.

"Christian, stop causing trouble, or I might change my mind and not give you your present."

Eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree, Christian took Lissa's hand. "Present? What present?"

With a look of anticipation, Lissa took the box from her bag and gave it to her boyfriend.

Rose has never seen the snarky Ozera speechless, but he now appeared to be at a true loss for words. He kept looking between the box and his girlfriend, amazed beyond speech. The gift was a simple one, something that he could have bought for himself if he wanted. So why was the cynical Christian that touched? Looking at the happy couple, the answer dawned on Rose. And it was beautiful in its simplicity: love. Lissa's gift mattered so much because _she_ mattered to Christian. For a guy who turned sarcasm and biting replies into an art form, he clearly worshiped the ground on which Lissa walked. It was amazing to see how love could change someone. As for Lissa… she had always been beautiful, but now she absolutely glowed. She shone like a goddess, in her bubble of happiness. With a painful twinge of her heart, Rose realized that she could never have what her friend had. She could never allow herself to love, to be loved, to show vulnerability. "Don't you ever get lonely?" Mia's words rushed back to her. It didn't matter either way. What good did it do to dwell on the impossible? But still… It had to be nice. With the Guardian mantra ringing in her ears, Rose slapped a cheery fake smile on her face and engaged Mia in a friendly banter.

The gym was almost deserted this early in the vampiric day, except for a lonely figure in the back. James, great. He was one of the best Guardian out there and she needed a good workout. Rose loved her friends and she had had fun last night, but the Christian-Lissa revelation still rubbed her the wrong way and she wanted to blow off some steam. The lights were muted, and the only noise in the gym came from the fans. The air seemed a bit stale, but that didn't bother Rose. Having spent so many hours training in gyms, both here at Court, and at 's, the combination soothed her. It was home for her.

"Hey, handsome! Are you up for some company?" she said with a wink.

James turned to face her fully and smiled. "For you? Anytime. It's been some time since we last sparred and I need a good challenge."

"Prepare to have your ass handed to you!" Rose retorted teasingly and got in position.

"Yeah, yeah. The queen personal guardian and all that. Let's see what you've got!"

James was lethal, but she was more so. They danced around each other for a bit and then they really got into it. Speed and agility were Rose's best assets, so she quickly went on the offensive, attacking her bulkier opponent with surprising moves. James blocked a vicious kick to his kidney and counteracted with a punch to Rose's jaw. She narrowly evaded it and retaliated with a textbook uppercut to James's nose. There was a crunching noise and blood started to flow freely, but the experienced guardian quickly recovered and sent Rose to the floor, using a technique he perfected over the years. Pinned down, but not out of the fight, Rose started to wiggle free, sending a knee to James's stomach before he had a chance to properly pin her to the mat. She was on him in the next second and again targeted his already damaged nose, when she felt an odd popping in her ears.

The popping turned into a ringing that drowned out all other sounds. Confused, Rose looked to James for help, but his features started to fade. Suddenly, there was a mighty roar and the lights went out.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Thanks so much for reading!**

 **I'm a huge Vampire Academy fan and I've been reading VA fanfic for some time now. Writing was always on my mind, since a young age, but I never took the final step and actually start putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard :)**

 **But then the wonderful Gigi256 came along and she inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and take a leap of faith with this Disney challenge. I chose Beauty and the Beast because it's my favorite Disney movie, the go-to material whenever I feel down. And I thought that the mix will work nicely.**

 **So I guess this is it. I hope you'll enjoy reading Rose's adventures in this strange, new world and I welcome any comments you might have.**

 **Of course, I don't own any characters, just a huge amount of respect and admiration for both universes.**


	2. Chapter 2

When she was able to once again get her bearing, Rose realized that she was in a body of water, a pond perhaps, with a gravely injured man, no James in sight.

By the time she was able to make sense of her surroundings, a beast of some kind charged forward and attacked the scraggly man. About 7 feet tall, with 2 big horns sprouting from its head, large whiskers, fangs and a huge tail, the beast looked like something out of the horror movies Mason made her watch back at the Academy.

" _What to do now?"_ she contemplated.

Sure, the thing was enormous and scary, but she was a Guardian, one of the best there was. She couldn't just stand still and let the poor guy get mauled.

With a move her instructors would be proud of, she twisted and leaped from the water, landing on the beast's back. Instinct took over and she landed a bunch of punches to the thing's ears, having determined that they were a weak spot.

Recovering from the surprise attack, the beast tried to shake Rose off, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Tangling her legs across the beast's torso, she pulled at its hair with all her might and started pounding at his right ear.

Despite her precarious position, she kept on fighting to save the innocent man.

But the beast had had enough and with a clawed hand he grabbed Rose and shoved her into the freezing water. He pounced on her in the next second, grabbed her by the throat and released a bone-chilling roar.

Rose wasn't a stranger to frightening situations, but as she looked into the beast's eyes she realized that her life might be coming to an untimely end.

The thing had big, menacing eyes, of a dark green color. Green, like Lissa's. However, unlike her best friend's kind and serene expression, the beast had murder in its eyes. It was completely focused on her, promising retribution for being denied its prey. But as Rose continued to stare at it, the mindless aggression started to lessen. The animalistic fury was replaced by a cold intelligence, intense and calculating, almost as scary as the seemingly mindless anger. All of a sudden, she saw his hand lashing out at her and then there was nothing.

* * *

Bits of sound, a strange draft coming from somewhere above her and a cold unrelenting surface underneath her slightly bruised body. A strange combination she couldn't make any sense of.

"A girl in our castle. Mon Dieu! An actual girl. A girl, Cogsworth!" Said a heavily accented voice, presumably French.

"Let go of me, you animal! You are acting like you have never seen a girl in your life." Retorted a second voice, angry and a bit pompous, with a cultured British accent.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I haven't seen a girl in 10 years. I almost forgot what one looks like. And this one is so beautiful. Look at that hair. Do you think it feels like silk? And, oh, her eyes. Her eyes are…"

"Closed. She is sleeping, you imbecile," the British voice said with an increasing amount of annoyance.

"I know that she is sleeping, my grumpy old friend. But I am French. I can tell that a woman's eyes are beautiful even if they are closed." The French voice responded with good humor.

"Poppycock. Have you been eating glue again?"

"There's no need to insult me. I was simply stating a fact."

Rose slowly opened an eye, trying to get her bearings, only to be greeted by a cold, hard stone floor, no windows, and sturdy bars. She couldn't possibly be in a dungeon, could she? She tried to move a bit, so she could see who was talking.

"Bullocks. You are rambling, in your usual manner. No dignity, no grace."

 _Was that a clock talking? The pretentious British voice belonged to a clock?_

A mantel clock from what she could tell. But a clock… talking? She must have really hit her head. Turning a bit, she saw that the clock seemed to berate a candelabra, which she assumed was that owner of the French-accented voice. There was a similar one in Lissa's quarters at the palace, but she never heard him talk. Or any other object for that matter. Where the hell was she?

"We should get her a nice blanket. The castle can be a bit chilly, especially in the dungeons," said the candelabra.

"Lumiere, the girl is a prisoner, not an esteemed guest. It is not our duty to make her comfortable," the clock started hopping from side to side, becoming increasingly agitated.

"My dear Cogsworth, the French…" The candelabra started again before he was brusquely interrupted.

"I do not care for your idiotic mumblings. Master has deposited her here, so here she will stay. Regardless of her eyes…"

"Opened."

"What?" asked the clock, confused.

"Her eyes are opened," said the candelabra with delight, hopping to the bars.

 _Shoot!_

The talking candelabra (Lumiere?) caught her looking at them.

"My sweet mademoiselle, you have awakened. My name is Lumiere, the boutellier, at your service. This is my eternally indisposed friend Cogsworth, the butler and head of the household staff." Ignoring the withering stare Cogsworth sent his way, Lumiere touched the bars with a softly glowing candle and took a little bow.

"Is there anything we can get you? A cup of hot tea, a pillow, a magazine, maybe something sweet? My guess is that you have a sweet tooth," Lumiere winked and …

"Lumiere!" cried Cogsworth, outraged, approaching him.

"Oh, hello," said Rose tentatively and started to rise from the floor.

"Umm, I'm Rose. Nice to … meet you," she thought for a bit and went to the bars.

"I don't suppose you could let me go…" she tried her most alluring smile. The irony that the recipients were inanimate objects wasn't lost on her.

"Absolutely not! The audacity…" Cosgworth bristled, making his clock hands go haywire.

"Well, we could…" started Lumiere, staring into space with a musing smile on his face.

"No, we absolutely could not. The master would dismantle us!" Cogsworth put his hand on Lumiere's arm and spun him around. In the distance, the wind howled, creating an even chillier draft than before.

"Master?" asked Rose, close to losing her temper. "What master? Don't tell me that hideous beast runs this place. That would be…"

"The truth." The beast emerged from a dark corner, with a huge scowl on its face. Little did Rose know that beasts could scowl.

 _But hey, if objects could talk…_ Her mind supplied.

It then turned on its subjects.

"What are you doing here? I think I told you to stay away from the prisoner." It was next to the bars in the blink of an eye.

"Prisoner? _Prisoner_ is such a harsh word," said Lumiere, a bit timidly.

"But that is exactly what she is!" the beast roared, turning to face Rose. "You willingly interfered with justice!"

"Justice?" yelled Rose, outraged. "You call that justice?! You were about to maul that poor guy, you animal!"

"That poor guy stole from me and then tried to escape his punishment." The Beast started to pace outside the bars.

"And what was the punishment, do tell. Evisceration?" Rose didn't want to show it, but she was scared, which in turn made her angry and just a tiny bit reckless.

The Beast stopped his pacing for a second, deep in thought. Outside, the wind grew impossibly fiercer.

"No, a prolonged stay in the dungeons. But because you were so eager to see him free, you will take his place," said the Beast, rounding on Rose once more.

"What?! You have got to be kidding me!" cried Rose and started banging on the bars.

"I do not kid," said the Beast solemnly, with the air of a man who was used to have his commands obeyed without question. "You will stay here and serve your time."

"But I'm not a…" Rose stopped banging on the bars and instead gripped them hard, changing tactics." For how long?"

"Indefinitely." The words carried such finality that she almost flinched. She tried to say something else, anything, but nothing came out. She just watched the Beast's robes billowing in the draft caused by its sudden departure.

"Indefinitely…" she whispered to herself.

"Mademoiselle Rose," said Lumiere tentatively. "Mademoiselle, the situation is not as dire as you may think. You don't actually have to stay in the dungeons."

"I am quite certain that she does."

Lumiere chose to ignore the indignant Cogsworth and outstretched a hand to Rose.

"We can move you to the Eastern wing, in one of the pastel bedrooms. I think that will work nicely."

He brusquely hopped to Cogsworth and said in a low, grave voice, unusual for the seemingly carefree candelabra:

"Mon ami, I know what the master commanded, but the truth is we're running out of time. She is the first girl we have seen here in ages. Maybe she could do the impossible. Sure, the master will be a little unsatisfied at first, but I am sure he will see to reason. He has just as much to lose as the rest of us. More so, even."

"See to reason." Huffed Cogsworth. "You're a damn fool, that's what you are."

"That doesn't make me wrong."

Cogsworth looked at his friend pleading look and seemed to have come to a conclusion. He wobbled back to the bars and retrieved an antique looking set of keys from a hidden compartment close the bars.

"Come on, Mademoiselle. It appears a change of scenery is in order. God help us all" the last part mumbled to himself in the same proper English that seemed part of his very being.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey guys!

Thanks so much for the reviews, follows and faves. I was so nice talking to you and discussing my first ever story.

I hope you like the second chapter. I love Lumiere and Cosgworth and their relationship, so the bickering was really fun to write, especially from Rose's POV.

There are many more surprises to come, so bear with me. :)


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